


on a windy day

by suhrealist



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Meeting the Parents, small mention of doyu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2020-12-24 04:00:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21093041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suhrealist/pseuds/suhrealist
Summary: “Two completely different, clashing cultures. Yet both boys found themselves right smack in the middle of it all. Both finding comfort in the way they understood how the other felt.”in which johnny brings jaehyun to chicago to introduce his parents and his hometown.#S073





	on a windy day

**Author's Note:**

> 127ff is only the second fest i’ve joined but i had so much fun writing this! hope you all enjoy <3

“Nervous flier?”

If the question had come from anyone other than the particular person sitting next to Jaehyun, it would seem like an innocent concern. But as it is, Johnny Suh is nothing but teasing, with a giant smirk on his face and leaning way too close for Jaehyun’s comfort.

“Shut up,” Jaehyun halfheartedly retaliates. He’s flown dozens of times before, of course he’s not nervous, he thinks as he fumbles with his seatbelt.

It’s not his fault he’s nervous about meeting Johnny’s parents for the first time. And, oh god, he has to face his childhood friends too. They know Johnny in ways Jaehyun never will and that doesn’t sit well with him at all.

But Johnny, ever so caring, can tell when it’s just the right moment to stop pushing his boyfriend’s buttons.

“Hey, they’ll love you. I’m sure of it.” He smiles at Jaehyun and pokes at his puffed up cheek, making sure to land right on his dimple.

“How can you be so sure when they’ve never even met me?” Jaehyun shoots back, but he loses his bite the moment he slips his hand into Johnny’s.

“First of all, I love you, so they’re required to do the same. It’s like the law or something. Second, you’ve already met them through Skype! Real life isn’t so different. This time you’ll just be able to see their feet.”

Jaehyun chuckles at that and manages to settle down. To this day, after three years of dating, it still surprises him how in tune they are with each other. He knows meeting Johnny’s parents won’t change their relationship, but it’s undeniably a big step. Towards what, Jaehyun isn’t sure. He just knows it’s in the long list of achievements every couple worries about.

But he doesn’t want to worry. Not now, not when they’re on summer break and don’t have to think about papers and exams and whatever else university has taught them to dread. Right now he just wants to enjoy this trip with the love of his life, maybe watch a movie or two, definitely steal Johnny’s complimentary dessert, and somehow try to cuddle even when they’re flying economy class.

***

They hear, rather than see, Johnny’s mom as soon as they’re out from baggage claim.

“Johnny!  _ Johnny! Over here! _ ”

“Annnd that must be my mother,” Johnny chuckles, grasping Jaehyun’s hand and leading him to the source of the voice.

Mrs. Suh tackles Johnny (a man almost twice her size) into a bear hug as soon as he’s close enough. “Johnny! Have you grown taller?!”

“No, mom, I’m pretty sure I stopped growing after high school,” Johnny laughs, and it’s funny because Jaehyun can immediately see the resemblance. Their faces are both lit up with joy and the little dimples on their cheeks are almost identical.

Johnny turns towards him then, reaching out for his hand again so he can introduce him to his mother.

“Mom, meet Jaehyun. Jaehyun, my lovely  _yet loud _ mother.”

“Oh, shush!” Johnny’s mom waves him aside and wraps Jaehyun in a tight hug. She’s warm and she smells like home cooked Korean food. Jaehyun almost completely forgets that he’s in a foreign state.

“Of course I know him! I’d recognize this handsome face anywhere,” she says while she cups Jaehyun’s face between her hands. Jaehyun blushes and can’t help but smile at the small woman in front of him. Her energy is infectious, better than coffee after a thirteen hour flight.

“It’s really nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Suh. Where’s the mister?” Jaehyun asks as they make their way to the airport’s exit.

“Oh, he’s probably still out looking for parking. I’ll call him now and let him know he can just pick us up!” She wanders further off, away from the noisy crowd to make the call. Jaehyun feels Johnny grasp his hand again and when he turns his face towards him, they’re both smiling from ear to ear.

“Told you she’d love you,” Johnny says, pressing his lips to Jaehyun’s forehead. Jaehyun chuckles and pretends to squirm away from Johnny’s public display of affection. 

He takes this chance to just look around. Airports always had a way of making him feel like he’s somewhere in between. Sure the architecture was different but if no one had told him he’d be landing in Chicago, he’d have no idea where he is. 

The air hits different though, even when he hasn’t been back in America in more than ten years he can still feel it. The buzzing sound of English speakers all around him makes him nervous at first. He didn’t realize how comforting it was that the first words he was greeted with was Mrs. Suh’s fluent Korean.

Johnny notices the way Jaehyun suddenly goes quiet, as he often does when he gets lost in his thoughts. He takes a look around himself, adjusting and remembering to speak in English when an elderly couple asks him for directions.

“So, how does it feel to be back?” Jaehyun asks Johnny once he’s out of his reverie.

“Hmm. Like I’m home but also like I’ve just left my home. It’s weird, like I know I belong in both places, but it takes a while to get used to it, I guess.” Jaehyun nods, understanding completely. It’s how he felt when they first moved to America. And how he felt again when they returned to Korea just as he was about to start high school.

Two completely different, clashing cultures. Yet both boys found themselves right smack in the middle of it all. Both finding comfort in the way they understood how the other felt.

***

Johnny’s dad, while a lot more subdued than his wife, still reminded Jaehyun a lot of Johnny himself. He was quiet but not unkind. He shook Jaehyun’s hand with a firm grip and smiled like he was genuinely happy to meet him, which now sounds silly in retrospect. Jaehyun’s chatted with Mr. Suh over Skype plenty of times, but he still felt like he needed to impress him somehow.

They’re currently talking about Johnny’s plans for the both of them over the trip, and to be honest, Johnny didn’t really have much of a plan. He was more of a “go with the flow” type of guy. It was something that confused Jaehyun at first, as someone who used to meticulously plan out every day of his life. But now he admired that side of Johnny. The side that refused to be told how to get somewhere. He’d find his own way eventually, thank you very much.

“Well you should at least show Jaehyun around the city! It’s not every day you come home to Chicago.”

“Yeah Mom, I will. I just think we should get settled in for now. We have plenty of time.”

“Yes but don’t forget we have dinner at your grandma’s tomorrow. And you’re meeting your friends this weekend.  _ And  _ we’re hosting lunch for our church group on Sunday. Plenty of plans!”

Jaehyun chuckles as Johnny continues to sputter out his excuses for not planning his trip well enough. To be honest, he wouldn’t mind just walking around aimlessly in the city Johnny grew up in. He’s sure to have lots of stories to tell, and Jaehyun can’t wait to get to know this part of him.

***

“Sorry about that, she can be quite a handful sometimes,” Johnny says, finally able to shut his bedroom door behind him. His mom had just finished showing Jaehyun around the house and finally allowed them to unpack their suitcases.

“Don’t say that! She’s sweet,” Jaehyun chuckles. He’d never admit he’s been aching to crash on a bed since they landed.

Jaehyun takes a turn around Johnny’s childhood bedroom, taking in all the tiny details that make up an image of teenage Johnny in his mind. His mother helped a lot with that by already bringing out Johnny’s baby photos and high school yearbook. It’s strange to see how much he’s changed and yet still his smile was the same. His eyes still crinkled the same way and his dimple still only showed when his smile was at its fullest.

On the shelves were various sports trophies, volleyball and basketball being the main ones (he had obviously taken advantage of his height). His desk was still arranged as if he was about to come home from school at any moment. The same old notebooks and pens still lying around. His parents had kept all the fantasy novels he used to read until 4am, his stereo and all of his old albums filled with music all the kids in his class used to listen to, the glow in the dark stars he had stuck on the ceiling by jumping on his bed.

It was like stepping into a time capsule, where nothing had changed save for the person who owned this very room.

Jaehyun turns back to look at Johnny, who’s been watching him with a bashful smile. “The baby photos are a little overkill, but my mom insisted,” he says, shaking his head.

“It’s a little surreal, seeing you had a whole other life before Korea,” Jaehyun replies, arms wrapping around Johnny’s middle while they study all the pictures hanging on the walls. Johnny starts pointing at certain people in the photos, as if he was introducing them to Jaehyun.

“That’s Jared, he was my best friend in high school. Everyone thought I’d hang out with the only other Asian kid in class but we never really did. That girl over there is Emma, she was my prom date senior year. Also the first and last girl I ever dated,” he adds with a chuckle.

Jaehyun points to a group photo of toddlers all lined up and doing their own versions of a wacky pose. “Who are these kids?”

“Oh, those are my cousins! You’ll probably meet some of them tomorrow. A couple of them are studying in different states now but they’ll be back for the summer. That one’s Mark! The one I still talk to all the time. He’s like a little brother to me,” Johnny explains, his smile turning wistful.

As an only child himself, Jaehyun completely understands how close he must feel to his cousins. He spent most of his childhood away from his own cousins but every trip back to Korea, during summers or Christmases, it never felt awkward around them. It always felt like they were picking up where they had left off, and for that Jaehyun has always been thankful.

“Anyway,” Johnny says, turning around in Jaehyun’s arms to face him. “We’ve got a few hours before my mom calls us for dinner. What do you want to do?”

“John Suh, you better not be thinking what I think you’re thinking.”

“Whaaaat?” Johnny whines, widening his eyes in faux innocence.

“We are  _ not  _ making out in your childhood bedroom!” Jaehyun shoves Johnny away from him and heads for his suitcase to finally start unpacking.

“Fine, spoilsport,” Johnny replies, pretending to pout. But it doesn’t last very long when Jaehyun throws one of his old plushies at his face.

“We’ll make time for that later,” Jaehyun mutters, his cheeks heating up at the thought. He fails to notice the giant grin on Johnny’s face and the fond look in his eyes.

***

Johnny closes the door softly behind him, careful not to wake up Jaehyun as he snores peacefully on his childhood bed. Scrolling through his contacts list, he makes his way to the backyard, greeting his mother as he passes her in the kitchen.

“Doie, you up?” Johnny says, squinting at his dark phone screen. He hears a groan coming through the line.

“First of all, don’t call me that. Second of all, it’s ass o’clock in the morning what do you want?” Doyoung grumbles, his voice muffled by the pillow his face is squished on.

“Well good morning to you too, sunshine. Yuta not there to cuddle with you or something?” Johnny chuckles. He can already see the disgruntled look Doyoung wants to throw his way.

His best friend finally flips on his bedside lamp, illuminating his face as he squints against the light. “He went on a run an hour ago, god knows why. Anyway, to what do I owe this pleasant wake up call?”

“We just got home and Jaehyun’s sleeping right now, poor baby’s tired,” Johnny says then bites his lip. “I don’t know why but I’m kind of nervous.”

Doyoung breathes a laugh, sitting up against his headboard. “Oh, how the tables have turned.”

“Shut up, I was always nervous. I just had to look confident for the both of us.” Johnny sighs and runs his hand over his face. He wasn’t worried about his parents liking Jaehyun, or even his friends. Jaehyun is lovable and kind, even to people he barely knows.

No. He was more worried about having his hometown leave a good impression on his boyfriend.

“Earth to Johnny?” Doyoung calls, tapping at his front camera.

“What if he doesn’t like it here, Dodo? What if he ends up thinking this trip was a waste of his time?”

“Please don’t call me that either. And are you kidding? Jae loves you. He’s gonna love seeing this part of your life. So stop being dumb, go wake up your boyfriend, and actually do some sightseeing.”

“You’re right,” Johnny sighs again. “Thanks, man. Tell Yuta I said hi!”

“Hi, Johnny!” He hears Yuta yelling from outside the room. Doyoung smiles, trying to hide how fond he is. Johnny just rolls his eyes at him and waves goodbye.

“Go make your man some breakfast. And thanks for the talk, Doyoungie!”

“I—ugh, fine I’ll let that one slide. For now.”

Johnny goes back up to his room, his shoulders feeling a little lighter. It’s a tight squeeze but he snuggles up close to Jaehyun anyway. He feels Jaehyun’s hands wrap around his own, pulling him tighter against him.

***

“Mom! We’re just gonna head out to Target to buy toiletries!” Johnny yells while putting on his shoes by the front door.

“Please buy some toilet paper while you’re there! Thank you!” Mrs. Suh calls back. Jaehyun can’t help but chuckle at the similarities between mother and son. He  _ has  _ to remind Johnny to do his impression of his mom at some point during their stay here.

“Let’s go?” Johnny asks, reaching out to help Jaehyun up from the floor. A burst of warm summer air hits Jaehyun’s face as soon as they open the front door. The heat was almost unbearable when they landed at the airport a few hours ago, but now that the sun is just beginning to go down it feels a lot more pleasant.

Johnny’s house was about an hour away from the city, in a nice looking suburban neighborhood. The kind of place you’d see picket fenced houses and where children could run around outside to play. But it was also the kind of place an adventurous soul like Johnny would choose to leave behind as soon as he was able.

“Do you miss it here?” Jaehyun asks, watching the almost identical houses pass by.

“Mmm, sometimes? Mostly my mom’s cooking. And my friends. But they’ve always told me I was too big for this place and I don’t think they meant that literally.” Jaehyun hums and nods, agreeing with the sentiment. 

Johnny was loud and sociable, always looking for a thrill or somewhere to get lost in. He couldn’t do that in a place he’s known all his life, and it starts to make complete sense to Jaehyun why he would move all the way across the world for university.

“We’re here!” Johnny exclaims, turning off the car engine and gesturing as if he’s presenting the Target building to Jaehyun.

“You  _ do  _ know I’ve been to a Target before, right?” Jaehyun says, getting out of the car and rolling his eyes at his boyfriend.

“Yeah but you haven’t been to  _ this  _ Target!”

“And what’s so special about this one?”

“Other than the fact that I bought most of my clothes here and worked here one summer? Nothing much. Come on!”

Johnny drags him around the entire department store, piling their shopping cart high with junk food,  _ more  _ plushies, a couple of matching pyjamas, and the stuff they really came here for.

It’s in the little moments like this, Johnny trying on a ridiculous cowboy hat and actually saying  _ yeehaw _ , that Jaehyun realizes he’s fallen for a complete idiot. A smart, lovable, silly idiot. 

And he’s never regretted it for a second.

***

It’s already dark out when they finally finish shopping. Johnny hums to himself as he starts up the car, wondering if they should head home and get some sleep or if he should take Jaehyun on a ride around his neighborhood.

“Hey, are you tired?” Johnny asks, peering at Jaehyun as he backs out of the parking lot.

“Mmm, not really. What did you have in mind?”

“My old high school is just a few minutes away from here, wanna see it? We can stop for some ice cream and sneak into the playground.”

“Sounds sketchy. I’m in,” Jaehyun says, grinning up at Johnny. He looks so excited about showing Jaehyun around and it’s sweet to see.

Johnny parks his car at a nearby convenience store and buys them soft serve ice cream that tastes better than it should because of the summer heat. They walk the rest of the way to Glenbrook North High School, Johnny taking care to point out the little things he remembers.

“That’s where I skinned my knee the first time I got on a skateboard,” Johnny says while pointing at a curb just outside the school gates.

“Aw poor baby, did it hurt?”

“A lot! Kiss it better?”

Jaehyun just laughs and pushes against Johnny’s side, taking care not to drop any of his ice cream. Growing up and going to high school in the city felt way different than how Johnny was talking about his childhood. The rush of city life always made him feel like he was hurrying to go somewhere, make it to the next class, catch the next train.

Suburban life feels much more relaxed. Maybe it could get boring and tedious after a while, but he could understand why someone with a family would want to settle down here. Kids were free to play outside, it was easy to find a community and have support, and it seemed a lot less lonely than living in a highrise in the middle of a crowded city where you would be a stranger to everyone else.

“Here, hold this.” Johnny’s voice breaks through Jaehyun’s train of thought once again, as he hands him his melting ice cream cone. He jumps over the low fence of the playground with ease then motions for Jaehyun to do the same.

Handing back his ice cream, Johnny takes Jaehyun’s arm and leads him towards the swingset. It’s a little rustier than he remembers and it creaks a lot more too, but there’s nowhere else to sit so they settle down, feet kicking up the dirt beneath their swings.

“We used to play here all the time,” Johnny says, continuing his series of stories. “We’d play king of the hill on that jungle gym, and this one kid in my class always made himself king. He would never let the girls join, even when there was this one middle schooler that really wanted to be a princess. But I overthrew him and granted free access to my land.” 

Jaehyun chuckles at the story, imagining a gangly 15 year old Johnny standing up to a bully. Sure, Johnny liked to make fun of his friends and he pulled pranks all the time. But when it really mattered, he’d defend them with his life.

“I also had my first kiss here,” he continues, smirking at Jaehyun.

“Should I be jealous?” Jaehyun teases.

“Maybe,” Johnny shoots back. Jaehyun raises an eyebrow and finishes off his ice cream, making sure to lick his lips of any stray drops.

“Hmm, then maybe we should have a first kiss here too?” Jaehyun gets up from his swing and goes to stand between Johnny’s outstretched legs. He cups Johnny’s face in his hands, squishing his cheeks and making Johnny laugh. He then plants a soft kiss on Johnny’s nose and finally his lips.

Johnny pulls away first, wrapping his arms around Jaehyun’s torso, his body still swaying because of the swing. Resting his head against Jaehyun’s chest, he gives his boyfriend a tight hug, nevermind how sweaty and sticky they both felt.

“I’m really glad you’re here,” he mumbles into Jaehyun’s shirt. Jaehyun cards his fingers through Johnny’s soft hair, pushing it back so he can look him in the eyes.

“And I’m glad to be here. It feels like I’m getting to know you all over again.”

_ And I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it,  _ Jaehyun thinks. He didn’t want to admit it to Johnny, but he could feel his boyfriend stressing over this trip, despite how easygoing he appeared on the outside. 

But even though he spent almost the entire day sleeping, he knows the rest of the trip was going to go well. He already feels at home (Johnny’s mom made sure of that). He couldn’t wait to spend the next few days exploring the windy city, every tourist attraction, every old coffee shop, every bridge, every beaten path, every unknown road, with Johnny by his side.

**Author's Note:**

> BIG thank you to our lovely mod for making all this possible!!
> 
> thanks to mae for being the first person to read this!!
> 
> thank you to the prompter and to everyone who decided to read this little thing 🥰
> 
> i’m a little bummed that i lost steam towards the end of this. i’ve actually written a bit more but couldn’t think of a way to end it. maybe some day i’ll find the inspiration to write more for this fic, but in the meantime, i hope you all enjoyed this <3


End file.
